their best album in years and years. despite stripping down the sound even more bare, they accentuate every aspect that they do really well. it feels far more subtle and natural than any of their more recent outputs, and with improvements all across the board (especially aaron's vocals which have made a huge step forward), this album serves as a glorious return to form for my dying bride. :]

This falls only just short of The Angel & the Dark River for me. I've always considered myself a pretty huge My Dying Bride fan, even of what's generally considered their lesser albums, but even with that said, this release left me fucking floored. Aaron Stainthorpe gives some of his most emotional vocal performances, all atop a wonderful dance of melancholy instrumentals. God damn, My Dying Bride still knows how to make a brilliant doom album, even after a couple decades.